Putin drives across Crimea bridge in a Mercedes

President Vladimir Putin on Monday drove a Mercedes in the course of the Crimean Bridge linking southern Russia to the annexed Crimean peninsula, a whole lot much less than two months considering an explosion tore through one of the Kremlin chief’s exhibit off infrastructure projects.

The 12-mile (19 km) road and rail bridge, which used to be once in my view opened by using Putin in 2018, was once bombed on Oct. 8 in an assault Russia stated used to be carried out by way of way of Ukraine.

Putin, accompanied through Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, was once shown on united states television at the back of the wheel of a Mercedes, asking questions about where the attack took place.

“We are riding on the proper hand side,” Putin said, as he drove throughout the bridge. “The left facet of the bridge, as I apprehend it, is in working condition, but even though it desires to be completed. It nonetheless suffered a little, we want to carry it to an ideal state.”

Putin also walked alongside components of the bridge, Europe’s largest, to look into sections that are nevertheless visibly scorched.

Ukraine in no way claimed obligation for the bombing of the bridge on the morning of Oct. 8, a day after Putin’s seventieth birthday.